Surrogate Uncle-Niece Dance
by ArtistKurai
Summary: Grace's school is hosting a father-daughter dance. But it's the same weekend that Danny has already promised to go on a camping trip with Charlie. Not wanting his favorite girl to miss out, Steve steps up and takes her himself.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome, muh dears, to another new story! And it's my first Hawaii Five-0 story, so I'm super duper excited! Many much thanks to the wonderful stormygrace. If it wasn't for that conversation we had, this story might not exist. And I love this story so much. So thanks!

If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you don't recognize it, I own it. Simple as that.

Disclaimer: Anyone know someone I can pay to put together a 1000 piece puzzle for me? I can't puzzle.

* * *

Grace Williams breathed a heavy sigh as she looked at the large calendar on the wall, then down at the paper in her hand. It was a flyer for the father-daughter ball that her school would be hosting the next month. When she first got the flyer that morning, she was super excited. She loved events like this because it was extra time she got to spend with her Danno. But when she saw the date of the dance, her heart dropped. For that very same weekend was the father-son camping trip that Danny had already promised to attend with Charlie. 

With another sigh, Grace dropped the calendar page back in its place and trudged to the living room, where she flopped down on the couch. 

"You okay, Gracie?" a voice said behind her. Grace turned to see Commander Steve McGarrett walking in from the kitchen. 

"What are you doing here, Uncle Steve?" she asked instead of answering his question. 

"I came here looking for your dad but I didn't see his car in the driveway." Steve sat down on the couch next to his niece. 

"He had to go to the store, and he took Charlie with him. They should be back soon." 

Steve nodded in silent understanding, then turned observing eyes onto his niece. Having known her for seven years, Steve knew every nuance of her behavior. Right now, Grace was a bit blue. Something had her upset, and Steve was determined to find out what it was. "So what made you sigh so dramatically just then when I came in?" he asked gently. 

"It's nothing, Uncle Steve," Grace answered, and a bit too quickly for Steve's liking. 

"No, this isn't nothing. I've seen nothing a thousand times, and this is not nothing." Grace ducked her head, not wanting to look her uncle in the eye. "What's bothering you, Grace?" 

It was a few minutes before Grace said anything. "I got this flyer at school today. We're having a father-daughter dance next month." She handed the paper over to Steve. 

"That sounds great, Gracie. You know Danno would love-" He stopped mid sentence when he saw the date of the dance. May 13th. "Oh, I see," he said softly. As he held the paper out to her, Steve gave Grace a sad smile. 

"Danno already promised to go on the father-son camping trip with Charlie, and since Charlie's only been able to spend time with Danno for the last couple years, I don't want to take this weekend away from him. I've had 15 years of Danno, so now it's Charlie's turn." 

Once again, Steve was amazed by the love Grace had in her heart for those she cared about. He pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so proud if you, Gracie, you know that?" 

A small smile lifted the corner of Grace's lips. "I know that, Uncle Steve. You tell me every chance you get." 

"You're darn right I do." At that moment, the door opened up and Charlie bounded into the kitchen, followed by Danny at a more sedate pace. 

"Grace, we got your favorite cookies," Charlie announced as he ran up to his big sister with a box of cookies in his hands. The sweet smile on his face was too good for Grace to ignore, and she returned his smile with one of her own. 

"Thanks, Charlie," she said sincerely, accompanied by a hair ruffle. "You always know how to make me smile." 

"Hey, Steve, what're you doing here?" Danny asked when he noticed his best friend on his couch. 

"I couldn't find my sunglasses, so I thought I might've left them here the other day." 

Looking between his daughter and best friend, Danny could tell something was a little off with Grace. But he also knew that if something really was wrong with Grace, Steve would've picked up on it and done something about it, so he wasn't overly worried. 

"Yeah, I found'em outside on the porch a couple days ago, so I brought'em in here so I'd remember to get them to you. Obviously, I failed." 

"Don't worry about it. So what d'you guys have planned for this weekend?" 

"Danno said he would take us to the beach tomorrow," Charlie said excitedly. 

"If it was okay with you, of course," Danny tacked on, addressing his friend. "As much as I just love the beach, I'd much rather take my kids to your private beach so we don't have to worry about weirdos and lots of people." 

"Of course you guys can come to my beach," Steve said, reaching out to tickle Charlie and pull him onto his lap. "You don't even have to ask. Consider this an open invitation to use my beach anytime you want." 

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," the little boy giggled happily. 

"Yeah, thanks, Uncle Steve," Grace repeated. 

"Alright, let's get started on dinner," Danny said. "You staying for dinner, babe?" 

"You know it." With a still giggling Charlie slung over his shoulder, Steve followed his best friend and his niece into the kitchen to help them cook. 

After a fun supper with his surrogate family, Steve went back home, this time with his sunglasses, and got ready for bed. But sleep eluded him that night. He just couldn't stop thinking about Grace's disappointment in not getting to go to the father-daughter dance with her dad. Steve knew just how close Grace and Danny were, and he knew Danny would love to go with Grace to the dance. He lived for events like this that got him more time with his children. 

Steve also knew Danny would beat himself up for not being able to go to the dance with Grace, even though it was all completely out of his control and Danny signed himself and Charlie up for the camping trip long before they even knew there would be a dance. 

So Steve lay awake for a good while coming up with something he could do for Grace that weekend. He was loving the ideas he was coming up with, but he would have to run them by Danny first. This concerned his daughter, after all. 

The next morning, Steve found Danny in his office working on paperwork from the last case. "Hey, Danno," he announced himself as he flopped into one of the chairs in front of his friend's desk. 

"Hey, babe. Hey, was there something going on with Grace yesterday?" Danny asked, getting right to the point. 

"Yeah, actually I wanted to talk to you about that." Danny leaned forward on his elbows, giving Steve his full attention. "Grace's school is having this father-daughter dance next month. She just found out about it yesterday." 

"What? That's great. I figured she'd be happy about something like that." 

"But it's on May 13th. Same weekend as your trip with Charlie." 

"Oh, man," Danny mumbled, running a hand over his face in disappointment. "I noticed something was a little off with her last night, but I knew if something was wrong, you would've taken care of it, and you weren't too worried about anything, so I wasn't either. No wonder she was upset last night." 

"Yep. But do you know what else she said about it?" Danny shook his head. "She said that since she's had 15 years of Danno time and Charlie's only had a few, she wasn't going to say anything about it and let Charlie have that weekend with you." 

Tears filled Danny's eyes just as pride filled his heart. "I got the best kids. You know that, Steve? I've got the best kids in the world." 

"You really do, Danny," Steve agreed with a smile. 

"I just wish there was some way Grace could have that weekend as well." 

"Well, I had some ideas about that," Steve began slowly, a smirk creeping across his face. 

Danny looked up wide-eyed at his friend. "What'cha got?"

* * *

The weeks passed slowly for Grace. The closer the dance got, the more she wished it could just be over already. She wasn't jealous of Charlie, not in the least, but it was still disappointing not getting to go to the dance with her father. 

When May 13th finally arrived, Grace spent the whole day in her pajamas and on the couch, despite Rachel's attempts to get her up and dressed. She finally gave up, deciding it was Saturday and therefore acceptable for Grace to laze about in her pjs just this once. 

It was 5:30 that evening and Grace was in the middle of a boring reality show when she heard the doorbell ring. She decided to let her mom get it. When the bell rang again, she deduced that her mom wasn't getting the door. So Grace hauled herself up off the couch to see who had the nerve to disturb her lazy day. 

Opening the door, Grace was met with the stunning sight of Steve McGarrett in a suit and tie. "What are you doing here, Uncle Steve? And why are you so dressed up?" 

"See, I heard there was a teenage girl somewhere in this neighborhood who's disappointed in not getting to go to this father-daughter dance her school is having," Steve began. He trailed off when he saw the confusion in Grace's eyes melt back into sadness. "So I was wondering if she might like to make it an uncle-niece dance instead." 

Just as Steve had hoped, Grace's eyes lit up like the sun. "Really, Uncle Steve?" 

"What do you mean, really Uncle Steve? Of course, really. Why don't you go upstairs and get ready to go? We've got dinner reservations at 6:30." 

Without a word, Grace ran up the stairs, leaving her uncle laughing in the open door to get a quick shower as Rachel pulled out a dress for Grace to wear. After she was done, Rachel helped her fix her hair in a simple yet elegant style while she did her makeup. By the time she had finally gotten her dress on, Grace saw that the clock said it was almost ten after six. Quickly pulling on her shoes, Grace stumbled down the hall and ran down the stairs to see her uncle patiently waiting in the living room with a small box in his hands. "I'm ready, Uncle Steve," she announced. 

"You look beautiful, Gracie," Steve said honestly, standing up to greet her with a proud smile. "But you're not quite ready yet. There's one thing missing." Opening the box revealed a corsage made of small white roses, which went perfectly with Grace's aqua dress. He slipped it on her wrist, then took a step back. "There," he said approvingly. "Now you're ready." 

"Wait, I have to take pictures first!" Rachel called as she ran into the room with her phone. 

"Really, Mom?" Grace grumbled, but she had a smile on her face as Steve pulled her into his arms. 

"Yes, really. It's your first uncle-niece dance, so of course I have to take pictures." A few minutes and a dozen pictures later, Steve and Grace walked outside, where a stretched limo was waiting for them. 

"You got a limo, too?" Grace asked, stunned. 

"You know it," Steve smirked. "Only the best for my favorite girl." 

"Thank you, Uncle Steve." 

The two had a very nice dinner at their favorite place, Kamekona's shrimp truck, the owner having graciously offered Grace's meal on the house for the occasion. "But you still have to pay for yours, McGarrett. A man still has to make a living, you know." 

When they reached the hotel where the dance was being held, Grace led Steve to the ballroom and immediately pulled him to the dance floor. "Thanks for doing this, Uncle Steve," she said softly, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist. 

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I want to bring my niece to a dance?" Steve chuckled along with Grace and dropped a kiss onto her hair. "You know your Danno wanted to be here, right? He wanted so bad to be able to bring you to the dance himself." 

"I know, Uncle Steve. But I also know he was looking forward to the camping trip with Charlie. Despite how much he hates camping." 

"Hey, you know what, we're gonna have to break him of that. I bet you, me, and Charlie can get your dad to like camping." 

"Good luck with that," Grace laughed. 

"Yeah, Danno's a stubborn one, isn't he?" 

"Where do you think I get it?" 

With content smiles on their faces, uncle and niece finished their dance before Grace dragged Steve over to the drink table, where Grace saw some of her friends. As she talked with the other girls, Steve watched Grace with a proud smile. He was glad he had done this for her. 

Steve couldn't hear any of Grace's conversation with her friends from where he was standing, but from all the glances in his direction, he could figure out what they were talking about. 

"Who's that, Grace?" Hannah asked her, sending glances at the older man. 

"Yeah, he's not your dad," Kelly added. 

"That's my Uncle Steve," Grace explained to her friends. "He and my dad work together." 

"He's a cop?" Hannah asked excitedly, leaning around Grace to get another peek at Steve. 

"Actually, he's a Navy SEAL," Grace explained. "He came back and the former governor asked him to head up her task force. Then he recruited my dad as his partner. They've been practically married ever since." The girls giggled at the thought of Grace's dad and uncle being married. It was a funny idea. 

At that moment, an upbeat song began playing, and it got Grace's attention. "Uncle Steve!" she called to her uncle, who looked over with a bit of concern on his face. "I love this song! We have to dance!" Once again, she grabbed Steve's hand and dragged him out to the dance floor. 

The rest of the night passed much the same way, with Grace dragging Steve back and forth between the dance floor and the refreshments table, and Steve loved every minute of it. Not for the first time, he wished he had a child of his own to share things like this with. 

But looking down at Grace, at the joy and happiness in her eyes and the smile on her face, made Steve realize that he did have that in a way. He loved Grace and Charlie almost as fiercely Danny did, and spending time with them gave him a warmth and a happiness that only the love for a child could bring. So even if Steve never had any children of his own, he didn't really feel like he was missing out. Seeing Grace and Charlie grow up would be more than enough for him. 

By the time the dance was over, Grace was dead on her feet, so Steve lifted her in his arms and carried her back out to the limo waiting to take them home. She was asleep on his shoulder before the car left the parking lot. 

After dropping a sleepy Grace off at home and sending the limo driver on his way, Steve drove back to his own home tired but very happy. It was such an enjoyable night, and he was very glad he decided to step up and do this for Grace. 

After taking off his suit and changing into sleep clothes, Steve crawled tiredly into bed. But before he could go to sleep, there was one last thing he had to do. Picking up his phone, he sent all the pictures of himself and Grace tonight to Danny. He knew his best friend would want to see that Grace had enjoyed herself. With that done, Steve could finally relax, and he let sleep take him away.

* * *

Across the island, in a tent in the middle of a campground, a phone beeped quietly, waking Danny from his light sleep. Seeing Steve's name on the screen, he quickly opened up the messages he'd received. The first thing he saw was a picture of a smiling Grace talking happily with her friends by a food-laden table. Seeing his daughter so happy made Danny smile with relief. The next picture was of Steve and Grace together that Danny could tell Grace had taken herself. Another one Steve had taken showed the two of them dancing together. Danny's smile only grew with each picture he opened. 

"Thank you, Steve," he whispered as he typed those very words into his phone and sent them to his friend. He could never be grateful enough for having Steve McGarrett in his life. Comforted by the knowledge that Grace had enjoyed her night, Danny turned onto his side, brushed Charlie's soft hair out of his eyes, and let himself go back to sleep.

* * *

A/N: I want a Steve! And I want a Danny. But I'd have to share the Steve with my sister, so I'll just take the Danny. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, guys!

Sorry, this isn't a new chapter or anything. Didn't mean to get your hopes up. I'm just posting this to some of my more popular stories to let you guys know that I've got some story ideas up on my profile that I can't really do anything with for various reasons. If anybody's having some writer's block or wants a new story idea, feel free to check out the ones I've posted and PM me about them. I'd love to see them be used and brought to life. Thanks!

Kurai


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